This book describes psychological research methods that treat the behavior of living organisms as purposeful rather than mechanical.

Selected papers of William T. Powers: 22 articles and papers published here for the first time. This second in the Living Control Systems series underscores the potential of control theory to revolutionize the life sciences, in particular psychology... where, indeed, the theory found its most responsive audience. Powers makes the case for testable models in the tradition of scientific integrity, as the means for developing a genuine science of living control systems. Also included, selected published works on Living Control Systems, 1989-1991.

Correspondence between William T. Powers, originator of Perceptual Control Theory, PCT, and Philip J. Runkel, professor of psychology and education at the University of Oregon. 500 pages of original letters show how Phil Runkel reevaluated everything he knew about psychology. This focused correspondence deals with the science (or lack thereof) and (inappropriate) methods used in psychology while introducing a new approach to a new natural science of psychology. Enclosures that go with the letters are available on the web.

Given the fundamental challenges to society in this era, a radical rewrite of how we approach science and culture is necessary. This handbook applies Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) to achieve a much needed convergence across the physical, life and social sciences, the humanities and arts. In doing so it addresses challenges such as mental illness, dementia, cancer care, toxic masculinity and societal oppression. It also reveals how PCT can be applied to practical issues such as understanding healthcare service implementation and human-machine interaction, as well as deeper questions such as consciousness and imagination. This second volume of the successful interdisciplinary handbook offers rich examples of how the unifying perceptual control framework can provide a viable alternative to existing theories and methodologies for a timely paradigm shift. - Examines the relationship between our perceptions, consciousness, and imagination - Provides computational and mathematical models for physiological systems, such as human movement, human-machine interaction, and psychological processes such as recovery from mental health problems - Presents health as control which leads to game-changing suggestions in designing interventions for health behavior, cancer support, care for dementia, and mental health services - Helps readers comprehend goals of teachers and students in education from a PCT perspective to show how educative interactions could be less coercive and foster flourishing - The value of PCT is demonstrated in understanding cultural memes and social challenges such as toxic masculinity

Dynamics systems (living organisms, electromechanical and industrial systems, chemical and technological processes, market and ecology, and so forth) can be considered and analyzed using information and systems theories. For example, adaptive human behavior can be studied using automatic feedback control. As an illustrative example, the driver controls a car changing the speed and steer ing wheels using incoming information, such as traffic and road conditions. This book focuses on the most important and manageable topics in applied multivariable control with application to a wide class of electromechanical dynamic systems. A large spectrum of systems, familiar to electrical, mechanical, and aerospace stu dents, engineers, and scholars, are thoroughly studied to build the bridge between theory and practice as well as to illustrate the practical application of control theory through illustrative examples. It is the author's goal to write a book that can be used to teach undergraduate and graduate classes in automatic control and nonlin ear control at electrical, mechanical, and aerospace engineering departments. The book is also addressed to engineers and scholars, and the examples considered allow one to implement the theory in a great variety of industrial systems. The main purpose of this book is to help the reader grasp the nature and significance of multivariable control.

Control Applications for Biomedical Engineering Systems presents different control engineering and modeling applications in the biomedical field. It is intended for senior undergraduate or graduate students in both control engineering and biomedical engineering programs. For control engineering students, it presents the application of various techniques already learned in theoretical lectures in the biomedical arena. For biomedical engineering students, it presents solutions to various problems in the field using methods commonly used by control engineers. - Points out theoretical and practical issues to biomedical control systems - Brings together solutions developed under different settings with specific attention to the validation of these tools in biomedical settings using real-life datasets and experiments - Presents significant case studies on devices and applications

The development of science consists not only of deepening and widening the already established scientific disciplines but also depends on the emergence of new ones. The emergence and development of new sciences is influenced primarily by two factors: isolation and generalisation. Isolation of scientific disciplines is due to the discovery of new objects of investigation and the emergence of specific scientific trends. This leads to the study of a relatively narrow class of objects which are characterised by their specific approach to both the formulation and the solution of problems. Examples of this type of specific scientific diSciplines include, for instance, chemistry of high molecular compounds and the theory of electrical machines, which are both devoted to the study of a relatively narrow field. In addition there are the more general scientific disciplines, whose characteristics are that they are created for the purpose of studying such natural phenomena as occur in a very wide class of objects. Disciplines of this type are, for instance, the theory of dimensions and the theory of similarity, the theory of dynamic systems and thermodynamics. The very general, as opposed to the very specific, sciences tend by their nature to be more theoretical and depend much more on the language, mathematical or otherwise, used to describe them.